Final Blog Post--Reflection

It's quite clear the overarching things I've learned this semester about technology. I mean, just look at my first entry about how embarrassing it is to accidentally tweet and then read the rest of this--how I'm actually sizing up different types of technology based on their usefulness in the classroom based on my understanding of them. Part of me feels like being on a commercial just to help sponsor the idea of Technology. Zoom in on a college student up to her neck in twisted computer chords, her face lit by a blinking computer screen. Announcer: "Are you tired of spending endless hours trying to figure out what all those buttons and keys do?" College student looks up pathetically and nods. "Are you tired of looking like a fool by a little box that can't think for itself?" College student starts to weep. "Now, with just a little assistance, you can conquer a moderate amount of your technology anxieties!" College student beams with joy. Different shot of that same student walking down the stairs of a powerful looking building--possibly a university or corporation. Student: "I used to freak out about all things computer, but now I'm telling my superiors how to do things that can better their lives. Thanks, Technology!"

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but I still feel like my attitude about technology has changed, and that's the most important thing in my opinion. I don't think technology is purely a distraction and only brings in temptations or mind-numbing material to everyone's lives--I see that with the proper application of the tools available on computers, we can make our lives more productive and social. Networking isn't just about going from business to business and it's not just about Facebook either. With websites, blogs, videos, wikis and countless other pieces of technology, we have the ability to reach out and connect with people who can inspire us and teach us. Collaborating with peers and professionals is as easy as turning on your computer.

I think the most helpful blog I subscribed to this semester was Cliff's Notes because he had lots of links to other very helpful sights about good teaching tools and technologies to use. It was pretty consise as well--some other blogs you have to wade through a lot of stuff before you find the treasures. This wasn't the case as much with Cliff's Notes.

I also think the most useful pieces of technology for me to learn to use were the class websites and iMovie. I realized how a class website allows me to be more organized and available to my students (not to mention their parents). And I had no idea how many applications I could use for iMovie to make potentially boring subjects something kids would be excited to watch or even make. I definitely plan on using some sort of technology in my future teaching depending on what is most needed for that class. Wikis for collaborative papers, blogs for publishing daily journals, iMovie or garage band for bringing in more creative elements to the class . . . the possibilities go on. Part of the reason I wanted to become a teacher is because I had so many bad ones growing up. I thought that there had to be a better and more interactive way to teach, and now, oh mighty Technology, you have made my point.

Khanacademy

This weeks' blog post is going to be about khanacademy.org, a one man mission to teach the world math, finance, and physics . . . among other things. Though this doesn't have much to do with my subject area, I can immediately see three applications for me personally in my life and teaching career--

1.) I can direct students in my English classes where to go with their math woes since I am much more qualified with words than with numbers. This is a great resource so that if my students ask me about any math concepts, I can point them in another direction instead of letting my face go red with their persistent staring in expectation of me saying something intelligent.

2.) I can actually learn certain math concepts I may need to make an analogy in my class. Or, in some crazy turn of events, if I have to sub for a math class, I can brush up on my number skills so I have more to bring to the students than apologies or nice poems about math.
 
3.) Finally, and most applicable in my opinion, I don't have to use khanacademy to know that I have the potential to do something similar. The concept of having mini-lessons available online would be great for students who need a refresher on certain topics we've covered in class. I might, for instance, make videos like those on kahanacademy after school that week, going over the major themes we've covered. These videos can then be available as a study guide for students.

The possibilities are pretty open with this idea, and so more ideas helpful to my classroom could soon follow.

Proposal for my Final Project

With the first mention of WebQuests in class, I was intrigued. I snooped around online a little to see what I could find out, which proved to be rather difficult since I had no idea what I was looking for. On WebQuest.org I found some information about them, and then a search engine to view them. I opened up the search boxes to see what these said WebQuests looked like. I typed in vague topics like English and writing. The blinking cursor mimicked my confused blinking. Nothing came up with those words. In a desperate attempt, my hesitant and trembling fingers typed in 'math' but still . . . nothing. In frustration, I sighed and placed my hands heavily on the keyboard. In doing so, I accidentally searched for 'ew' and a few WebQuests actually came up. Go figure. Despite these beginning issues, it looks like a really cool piece of technology to learn, especially dealing with collaborative writing or learning historical contexts of books, etc.     

Online Flashcards--A Flash of Inspiration

One quiet Thursday night in the upstairs bedroom of a college apartment complex--a vague location due to my increased awareness of internet safety--I was reading through my textbooks and writing down notes when a longing thought penetrated the mist of boredom threatening to set off the smoke detector . . . what if I could make online flashcards? No hand cramps, no awkward note cards to carry around, the ability to have pictures or more detailed descriptions on them without cutting out and pasting pictures and looking like an over-sized  kinder gardener. . . it sounded so blissful.
The media-and-technology fairy laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and made me jump. "But you can make online flashcards!" She gently chided me. "Have you learned nothing?" "Of course I have!" I protested with embarrassment, shoving the notes away and turning to my computer, dramatic theme music rising with my realization.
And there it was. With the words "flash" and "cards" nestled snugly in the Google search box, I found what I had been longing for. Flashcardmachine.com is a free service that allows you to create your own flashcards, or even create flashcards your classmates or students can use. You can upload pictures and audio, combine sets of flashcards, and share them with others on the site. You can also upload an application that allows you to put your flashcards on your Ipod (with a fee).
In my joy, I suddenly looked back at the media-and-technology fairy with a sour expression. "Really?" I asked. "You couldn't have told me sooner?"   

Internet Safety

The resources online that educate about internet safety were fascinating and eye-opening to me. I though I had a pretty good idea about what I needed to do to keep myself safe on the internet, but I really didn't have a truly solid idea until now.
I learned that someone only needs a few pieces of personal information to be able to either locate you or steal your identity. Keeping your birthday (especially year), place of birth and home address safe are of utmost importance. There are also lots of resources to help prevent and work through pornography, specifically on lds.org. There are also several sights online that give you access to controlled internet use such as the k9 internet filter.
Besides protecting yourself against identity theft, there is also the danger of keeping yourself safe online in relation to your healthy sense of self and reality. The videos from Frontline in our resources were a little scary to me in their reality of how much teenagers are sucked into the internet. I was disappointed and even outraged when some of the parents in the video didn't seem to be making an effort to have more face-time with their children or were "supporting" them by giving them the freedom to post provocative pictures.
Though the sites will be different when I'm a parent and the technology is almost impossible to imagine, the ideas will still be the same and so I have become a lot more solid in the things I want to do as a parent to protect and educate my children and students. For my children, I'm going to make sure I spend face-to-face time with them everyday, and have a good talk with them at least every few days. This is helpful because of Family Home Evening and the practice of eating dinner together. I also want to have a small portion of the week, maybe Saturday mornings, where we spend time as a family with no technological distractions so it can be more appreciated and put in perspective when used again.
As a teacher, this gets trickier but I'm definitely going to have this in mind when putting together my assignments and evaluations, such as tests.
I feel there should be a medium between education and encouragement of technology, as well as monitoring and control. Kids want structure, but they also want to be understood and so we shouldn't make them feel ashamed. We just need to teach them, even just a little in the classroom because it may be the only place they get that kind of instruction.      
I talked to my older sister about some of these basic principles about not revealing too much information about herself online, and also how to protect her daughter who is almost one year old. Although my niece is still pretty young, I gave my sister some general advice about things to look out for as her daughter gets older because technology exposure starts at younger and younger ages. Some of the things I told her she knew (like not to put online when you're going to be out of town) but she didn't realize how just a few bits of information can result in identity theft. She was also interested in learning more about pornography prevention, which I hadn't focused on much until she asked me about it. Together we explored different options. It felt really cool to inform my older sister about things that could help her, and it was also neat to feel more part of my niece's life even though we live so far away.

Shakespeare Video--Multimedia Assignment

Because of privacy issues, I did not embed my Shakespeare video on my blog (not that I wanted my own acting on here anyway) but I did want to talk about the things I did to make my video. The whole process was rather difficult--meaning I was just about on a first name basis with computer tech people in the lab I was working in, but here are some things I learned how to do.
Once I got everything working and figured out how to import video and music (half the battle) I pieced together my own videos with transitions of varying types and lengths, adjusted sound because the quality wasn't great, added slow motion affects at one point for the dramatic throwing of a bottle, added music and adjusted when it faded in and out, and added text at key points in the movie that help the class know were you are in the play. 
Uploading the video to YouTube (also set on private) was another challenge in and of itself. When I first stated uploading it, the time guesstimater told me that it would take 566 minutes to complete. Aghast and even a little claustrophobic, I typed and clicked furiously to find another way. Though they say that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing and expecting different results, that's exactly what happened. I was both relieved that it worked and worried about my sanity (or the sanity of who said that quote to begin with, really).
Though I may have embarrassed myself in the learning process (who knew that the power button for a Mac was on the back bottom left corner of the monitor?) it will be completely worth it when my class sees the video and experiences a high level of engaged learning, not to mention a profound blending of technology and art worthy of any prestigious award.  

Weekly Reflection: AudioBoo

It's interesting that just a few days before we mentioned Audio Boo in our last class, I actually stumbled on it in one of the blogs I follow. Looking around on the website, I realized that there were a ridiculous amount of  educational applications possible. The accounts are free so you can have all your students sign up and give them assignments to record things as a podcast or just a one-time deal. Some applications could include an interview (meet the author), a book summary, a poem, an explanation of a concept learned in class, questions the students have for the teacher or a tutorial the teacher can have her students access if they need help on homework, etc. And the actual recording and posting process is a breeze, so students shouldn't get too stuck on technical things. (The same goes for the teacher who may be a little technology shy . . . phew!) You can also have the students follow each other so they can listen to each others' posts (which is a huge incentive for kids to do a better job). I'm sure there are dozens of other applications for just about any subject taught in school. Not to mention, it's a pretty fun tool to have for your personal life, too.

Because I'm so handy-dandy, here is a link to the AudioBoo site.